KTR Criticizes CM’s Silence on Karnataka’s Almatti Dam Height Proposal

Speedy Summary

• Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao criticized Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for his silence on Karnataka’s decision to increase the Almatti dam height by 5 metres (from 519 to 524 metres).
• The decision would allow Karnataka to store an additional 100 tmc ft of water,potentially denying Telangana its rightful share of Krishna river waters permanently.
• Rama Rao emphasized that this move could damage the combined districts of Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, and Rangareddy in South Telangana due to reduced water availability.
• He accused Congress leaders in Telangana and at the national level, including Rahul Gandhi, of failing to defend farmer interests in their state while simultaneously leading the government in Karnataka.
• The ₹70,000 crore investment planned by Karnataka for this project was contrasted against similar efforts for Telangana’s projects like Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme and the Kaleshwaram project.
• Rama rao stated that legal proceedings regarding Almatti dam height increases were ongoing in the Supreme Court after stays obtained first by Andhra Pradesh and later by Telangana Governments.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The announcement about increasing Almatti dam’s storage capacity by raising its height reflects upstream-downstream dynamics among riparian states sharing water resources such as Krishna River-a critical lifeline for agriculture-dependent regions like South Telangana. Concerns raised by K.T. Rama Rao underscore fears over potential inequities if upstream states prioritize local benefits without considering downstream impacts on agrarian economies or established water-sharing protocols.

Such a move fuels political contention between ruling parties across different states as well as questions on inter-state cooperation mechanisms amidst varying political priorities-highlighted here through allegations against Congress leadership across both Karnataka and Telangana governments. The reference to ₹70,000 crore being allocated solely for land acquisition further accentuates resource allocation disparities within similar large-scale irrigation projects undertaken separately across regional divides.

Pending Supreme Court deliberations will likely bring sharper focus onto principles underpinning equitable management protections addressing impending immediate implementation-logistical delays harmful scenarios either party Government-layer prompt crossparty tackling resolutions quickly ensuring disruptions farmers growth reliant downstream finaly foundation-sensitive inter-institution future precedent setting await neutral judicial maxim justice servings Read More: